Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Phan Thiet

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $647 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
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Phan Thiet Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Phan Thiet

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Phan Thiet actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $647 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Phan Thiet $647

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,070 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Phan Thiet $1,070

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,493 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Phan Thiet $1,493

Budapest costs about 150% more than Phan Thiet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Phan Thiet is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.71 ₫70.3K

414.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.33 ₫603.9K

162.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.46 ₫115.4K

128.48%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$0.59 ₫15.4K

452.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.40 ₫10.2K

435.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.21 ₫5,436

747.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.64 ₫16.5K

479.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.25 ₫32.4K

201.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.32 ₫34.0K

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.38 ₫9,834

371.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.91 ₫23.6K

173.63%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.14 ₫29.5K

242.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.95 ₫309.3K

-7.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.05 ₫78.9K

117.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.66 ₫224.2K

69.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.90 ₫49.2K

-3.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.82 ₫21.3K

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.06 ₫27.5K

123.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.19 ₫30.7K

227.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.77 ₫20.0K

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.67 ₫17.3K

49.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.59 ₫15.3K

167.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.51 ₫13.1K

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.51 ₫39.1K

427.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.43 ₫244.2K

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.37 ₫9,708

243.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.58 ₫40.9K

28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.29 ₫7,633

424.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$5.85 ₫151.6K

378.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.59 ₫15.4K

461.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.60 ₫15.6K

128.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.70 ₫70.0K

634.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.85 ₫22.0K

114.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$30.3K ₫785.1M

-1.74%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.6K ₫713.7M

22.65%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$44.46 ₫1.2M

284.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$6.64 ₫171.9K

254.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.19 ₫237.8K

153.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$24.09 ₫623.6K

180.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.87 ₫203.7K

140.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$1.99 ₫51.4K

367.34%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$214 ₫5.6M

148.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,808 ₫98.6M

340.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$22.86 ₫591.8K

335.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$23.30 ₫603.1K

86.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$38.44 ₫995.1K

187.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$57.7 ₫1.5M

106.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$355 ₫9.2M

134.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$271 ₫7.0M

129.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$756 ₫19.6M

110.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$606 ₫15.7M

93.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,829 ₫73.2M

106.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,195 ₫30.9M

225.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.46

-23.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Phan Thiet

$271 41.8% 56.5% $351

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Phan Thiet

$163 25.2% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Phan Thiet

$50 7.8% 77.4% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Phan Thiet

$60 9.3% 72.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Phan Thiet

$64 9.9% 61.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Phan Thiet

$28 4.3% 67.4% $58

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7% 75.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $355 in Phan Thiet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $23.00 in Phan Thiet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $163 – making Phan Thiet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

255,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Phan Thiet 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Phan Thiet

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Phan Thiet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $970 in Phan Thiet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phan Thiet, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 379% less in Phan Thiet. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $214 in Phan Thiet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Phan Thiet, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Phan Thiet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phan Thiet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phan Thiet. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.